Insulator



H. O. WOLF Feb. 14, 1950 INSULATOR Filed July 22, 1947 Patented Feb. 14, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE INSULATOR Howard 0. Wolf, Grand Junction, 0010. Application July 22, 1947, Serial No. 762,677

2 Claims. 1

' The present invention relates to insulators for high voltage lines, and more particularly as used for neon signs.

My insulator is designed specifically for carrying high voltage current thru sheet metal. It can be made either as a one piece or a three piece body, but always provided with a straight thread ending in a concave recess on a shoulder or collar which terminates with a sharp peripheral edge.

By the use of this type of insulator, surface wiring instead of internal wiring is possible for neon lights, and this has proven to be a great deal simpler and better method than the customary manner, which requires excessive amounts of inflammable and heavily coated wires within the sign.

The advantage is also gained of avoiding breakage of electrodes caused by the presence of water or bugs in the bushings. The fact that all wiring of neon tubes can be done on the surface makes assembly and service easy, saving much time.

The installation of these insulators is easy because of the use of motor drill bits and drills to make needed holes instead of punching or sawing them.

All the electrodes can be doubled back as a common practice and wired to the insulators without previous planing or pattern work as the insulator can be screwed into the sign face which will not conflict with angle iron or other braces; thus saving pattern time, assembly time and also permit all inside braces to be located where they will do the most good.

These and other objects and advantages are clearly described in the subjoined description and shown on the attached drawing, wherein like numerals indicate the same details in the different views.

Figure 1 is a side elevation and partial section of the simplest form of my insulator;

Figure 2 is an assembly view in a single piece consisting of a vertical section of another form of my insulator composed of three main parts;

Figure 3 is a vertical section of the body portion of the insulator shown in Figure 2;

Figures 4 and 5 respectively are a vertical section and a top plan view of an intermediate ring shown in Figure 2 and Figure 6 is a vertical section of the cap of the insulator in Figure 2, which cap screws onto a bolt.

Referring first to Figure 1 showing the single piece form of my invention numeral In denotes the cylindrical shank with slightly tapering end H and a mushroom shaped head l2 at the top. The bottom surface l3 of the head I2 is provided with a shallow, concave recess having a sharp peripheral edge l5. Between this recess l3 and the cylindrical portion of the shank I I, the latter is provided with a rounded thread I6, which can be screwed into a hole drilled with a standard bit.

It should be noted that this thread is straight. and not tapered, thus differing from conventional insulators.

This feature of a sharp edged l5 and concave surface [3, insures of a firm hold between the insulator and the casing when the latter is screwed into a hole provided in the casing plate of a neon sign face, causing the plate to buckle into the recess l3 while the sharp edge l5 bites into the plate, thus preventing the insulator from unscrewing.

A securing rod i8 is carried in an axial bore thru the insulator and a pair of clamping units 19 is threaded on each end of the rod l8 to secure the conductor wires between them.

In Figures 2 thru 6 the preferred form of the invention is illustrated. Therein the body consists of a cylindrical shank 2| with slightly tap ering end 22 and a cylindrical root portion 23 with round threads joining an upper collar 24 having a sharp peripheral edge 25 and a concave recess 26 as in the form of Figure 1. From the fiat top surface 21 of the collar 24 a tapering neck 28 projects upwardly. Thru the entire body 2|, 24, 28 is provided an axial bore 29 for holding a tie rod 30 threaded at both ends, for securing the conductor wires. The end surfaces of the neck is fiat as at 28a.

Around the tapering neck 28, fits closely a ring bushing 32 similarly tapered inside and outside and provided with radial slots 33 across its top edge adapted to hold insulated wire or glass tube for conducting the current. A flat bottomed cap 34 with rounded outer surface and a central recess 34a is threaded on the end of the tie rod 30, which extends sufliciently above the top surface 28a of the neck 28 and the ring bushing 32 to obtain a good hold.

The ring bushing 32 is higher than the neck 28 so that, when assembled, a space 32a is formed between the top face 28a and the cap 34.

A conductor wire is clamped tightly between the nuts 2| in the space 32a under the cap. Likewise a wire is clamped between the two lower nuts 36, which also act to hold the insulator parts 2|, 32, 34 by tensioning the bolt or rod 30 between said nuts and the cap 34.

The rigid hold or locking of the insulator in 3 the neon light plate is, as before, assured by the buckling of the plate into the concave recess 28 with a sharp peripheral edge 25 as previously described.

The insulator parts In, 2|, 32, 34 are all made of good insulating or non-conductive material such as glass, plastic, or crockery by the simple process of molding.

It is to be understood that the invention as herein disclosed may be varied from the details described and shown without departure from the spirit of the subjoined claims.

I claim:

1. An insulator for high voltage lines of sled-5 tric signs, comprising a three piece ,bodylconsisting of a cap member, a body member and an in-' termediate bushing member, an bolt securipg said members together, said body memb r having an encircling collar portion with a concave under face, said face being defined by a sharp peripheral edge, a shankportionextending downwardly from saidconcave surface; a thread encircling. the shank portion adjacenttousaid face forsecuring .the insulator in a sign plate, and an upwardly directed neck portion'on the upper side of said collar portion adapted to carry said bushing member around it and said cap-member over its end, said axial bolt having a threadedbottom end, clamping nuts ,onzsaid threaded end for/se curing a conductor wire at the end of t'he' said shank portion, and said axial bolthaving threaded, engagement with said capto hold itfirmly against said necksportion and secure a conductor wire extending between the --cap -and. bushing of a cap member, a body member and an'intermediate bushing member, an axial bolt securing said members together, said body member having an encircling collar portion with a concave underface, said face being defined by a sharp peripheral edge, a shank portion extending downwardly from said concave surface, a thread encircling the shank portion adjacent to said face adapted for securing the insulator in a sign plate, and an upwardly directed neck portion on the upper side of said collar portion ag 1apted to carry said bushing member around it and said cap member oyer its end, said axial bolt having a threaded bottom end, clamping nuts on said threaded end for securing a conductor wire at the end of the :saidashank portion, and said axial bolt having threaded engagement with said cap to hold it firmly :against'saidneck portion to secure a conductor wire, said bushing member having a tapered bore to fit the correspondingly tapered neck portion, and radial slots across the top endof the bushing memberforholding said wire,

HOWARD OJWO'LF;

REFERENCES CIT-ED] Thefollowing references are of record in the file. of. this a patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

